When Passion Becomes a Profession

As part of our celebration of National Engineers Week, we decided to invite an amazing PLTW teacher and two future engineers and former PLTW students to talk about what it takes to make their career dreams a reality. Dr. David Dimmett, President and CEO of Project Lead The Way sits down with PLTW teacher, Christopher Desmond, and two of his former students, Kammy Blake and Kevin Morris. ------------------------------ Host:  Dr. David Dimmett, President & CEO of Project Lead The WayGuest(s): Christopher Desmond, CTE Teacher at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Kameran Blake, Junior Mechanical Engineering major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  Kevin Morris, Junior Civil Engineering major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  Resources: College readiness improves for students who take at least one PLTW Engineering course—see the proof: https://www.pltw.org/hubfs/PLTW_Brand/impact-profiles/PLTW_Texas_OnePager.pdf  Students who take more than one PLTW high school course are twice as likely to enroll in college and three times as likely to pursue a STEM major: https://www.pltw.org/hubfs/PLTW_Brand/impact-profiles/Missouri-PLTW_One-Pager_Digital.pdf Experience with industry-specific tools like Multism sets PLTW Engineering students apart from their peers: https://www.pltw.org/blog/pltw-ni-engineering-software-partnership Learn how Alex from Phillips 66 went from high school engineering to Phillips 66 Commercial and Business Development Senior Director: https://www.pltw.org/blog/phillips-66-pltw-partner-spotlight-engineering-career Ardagh Group provides real-world career readiness and work-based learning: https://www.pltw.org/blog/ardagh-group-prepares-pltw-students-for-future-careers-in-their-own-communities Rural communities and school districts are getting ready for a growing opportunity in advanced manufacturing: https://www.pltw.org/blog/closing-manufacturing-skills-gap-rural-schools See the data behind the educational opportunity in advanced manufacturing boom: https://www.pltw.org/manufacturing-skills-gap-rural-schools-infographic Schools that combine the power of PLTW and NAF expand college and career readiness in high school: https://www.pltw.org/blog/how-to-expand-career-readiness-in-high-schools-naf-pltw Middle school students apply pre-engineering knowledge to develop prosthetics for community members: https://www.pltw.org/blog/middle-school-stem-prosthetics A 48-hour innovation challenge gives PLTW Engineering students the chance to show off their skills: https://www.pltw.org/blog/pltw-students-shine-in-stadium-innovation-make48-challenge National Engineers Week: https://www.nspe.org/connect/partners/engineers-week ------------------------------ Connect on Social Media: Internship Company Website - Oerlikon UNC Charlotte College of Engineering Website UNC Charlotte Engineering - Instagram  Facebook:  Hopewell Engineering and Manufacturing Hopewell High School CMS Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools UNC Charlotte Engineering   LinkedIn:   Christopher Desmond Kameran Blake Kevin Morris UNC Charlotte College of Engineering Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent - Crystal Hill, Ed.D. - Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools  Instagram: Hopewell High School   Hopewell Admin School  Hopewell Engineering/Manufacturing